Weight Loss on Raw Food

Nice story on CNN.com of a 300-pound young woman who lost 160 pounds over two years by switching to a raw vegan diet. Has kept the weight off for four years and authored several books on switching to a vegan, raw-food lifestyle.

Food Storage Jars

One of Jen's friends posted on her blog the story of the pesky little moths that get into food products (mainly grains, in my experience) in the pantry. They lay eggs in the food, etc. -- resulting in having to throw out everything and start over. Sealed storage containers are the solution, as Anna said, showing the Ball jars which are so good for many uses. A couple of years ago I made the same switch and finally found online a source for one-quart and one-gallon glass jars (with screw-on lids) to store dry foods in (rice, beans, oatmeal, cereal, seeds, pasta, flour, etc.). They are sold by the case (12-count) and were just $2-$3 each when buying that many.

The reason I like the one-quart jars is because they are straight-sided, meaning the openings are wide at the top for sticking measuring spoons or other utensils in. The large jars on the bottom shelf (below) are great -- 128 oz/one-gallon size -- for storing large quantities of dry bulk foods.

I had a VERY DIFFICULT time finding these jars online. Very strange to me that something this common would be so hard to find. When I went back this week to try to find my original source to send to Jen's friend, I couldn't find it. Don't know if it's still out there or not, but this is a market niche that seems to be waiting to be filled. If anyone finds a good source for these LARGE size glass jars, please post it in the comments:

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Fall Colors

Snagged this "fall" bouquet at Harris Teeter this morning. Don't do flowers very often, but want to do more. They bring such color and "good cheer" to a room:





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Top 10 Blogs for Writers

Michael Stelzner (the leading writer of corporate white papers) has released the results of the "Top 10 Blogs for Writers, 2008/2009" contest.

There's something here for everyone: Moms, see #9. Here are his descriptions of each:

1. Copyblogger: As the undefeated champ, this blog has held the number-one spot for three straight years! The baby of Brian Clark, this blog keeps winning because of its excellent and educational articles.
2. Men With Pens: James Chartrand and Harry McLeod are the dynamic duo who continue to deliver rich content and community discussion.
3. Freelance Writing Jobs: Founded by Deb Ng, this site is the first stop for freelance writers seeking new work and great articles (and it remains a top winner since this contest began).
4. Write to Done: This blog delivers a steady stream of excellent articles for all writers and is the product of top blogger Leo Babauta.
5. Confident Writing: Looking for encouragement? Joanna Young will help you take your writing to the next level.
6. The Renegade Writer: Linda Formichelli and Dianna Burell, authors of a book by the same name, help freelance journalists find inspiration.
7. Remarkable Communication: One part writing, one part marketing and one part selling, this excellent blog by Sonia Simone will help any writer succeed.
8. Writing Journey: Looking for a great stop on your writing journey? Bob Younce’s blog will refresh and energize you.
9. Freelance Parent: Two moms, Lorna Doone Brewer and Tamara Berry, provide excellent perspective on writing while balancing time with little ones.
10. Urban Muse: Susan Johnson covers a wide range of excellent topics that all writers will enjoy.

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Augustine's Pears

Whenever I look out my back window to the heavily-laden pear tree in my neighbor's yard, I think of the role pears played in St. Augustine's conversion. From chapter four, book two, of his Confessions:

There was a pear tree close to our own vineyard, heavily laden with fruit, which was not tempting either for its color or for its flavor. Late one night--having prolonged our games in the streets until then, as our bad habit was--a group of young scoundrels, and I among them, went to shake and rob this tree. We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this pleased us all the more because it was forbidden. Such was my heart, O God, such was my heart--which thou didst pity even in that bottomless pit. Behold, now let my heart confess to thee what it was seeking there, when I was being gratuitously wanton, having no inducement to evil but the evil itself. It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own undoing. I loved my error--not that for which I erred but the error itself. A depraved soul, falling away from security in thee to destruction in itself, seeking nothing from the shameful deed but shame itself.

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"3" "7" or "PC"

The evidence seems to be mounting about the danger of some plastic bottles. The dangerous ingredient in the plastic goes by the name "BPA," and a report I read said that 90-95% of Americans have BPA in their bodies already (according to an AMA study). One BPA research study summarizing 218 other studies on BPA found that 189 of the studies found harmful effects of BPA -- an 87% agreement rate. BPA has been linked to a number of diseases, but the American Medical Association.

The FDA, however, is on the other side of the evidence and said this on September 18:

Based on our ongoing review, we believe there is a large body of evidence that indicates that FDA-regulated products containing BPA currently on the market are safe and that exposure levels to BPA from food contact materials, including for infants and children, are below those that may cause health effects.

The easiest way to tell the "bad" plastic bottles (including water bottles, baby bottles, energy drink bottles, food storage containers, etc.) is to look on the bottom. You'll find a triangle with a single digit number in it. The "bad" bottles have a "3" or a "7" in the triangle, or the letters "PC" stamped on the bottom. Some of my two- and five-gallon buckets that I use for dry bulk food storage have a fork/spoon icon stamped on the bottom signifying "food grade."

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